Looking for a good head start for a new year ahead? While we know that the Chinese New Year (正月初一) observes certain taboos, including eating food with good connotations, we will now look at some lucky foods that are generally eaten for the New Year on 1^st January.

Grapes

It is known that in Spain and other former Spanish colonies, 12 grapes are eaten at midnight of New Year’s Eve, before the last stroke of 12. The grapes represents the 12 different months of a year, and a sweet grape means a sweet, smooth sailing for the month to come.

Cooked Greens

Green leafy vegetables resemble the green money bills, especially for people from European countries or the USA. Because of this, green leafy vegetables symbolizes money and fortune, and it is believed that the more greens one eats, the larger ones fortune will become next year.

Legumes

For various cultures there are various beans and seeds that represent the meaning of fortune, prosperity or just pure good luck. Black-eyed peas are considered lucky for residents of the state Virginia, while Japanese had kuro-mame and osechi-ryori.

Pork

Even in Chinese culture, pig symbolizes progress, thus it isn’t a surprise to find pork among the list of New Year good luck food. The rich content of pork also signifies wealth and prosperity, and the meaning is shared throughout the European and American continent.

Fish and Seafood

Just as fish is synonymous with abundance and wealth in Chinese culture, it is as popular in Western culture as well. While the Japanese eat herring roe for fertility and shrimps for longevity, Germans eat carp and also kept a few fish scales in the wallet for good luck.

Cakes and Sweets

Cakes and pastries are some of the most common celebrative foods in almost every culture. For New Year, it is no different. Round, ring-shaped pastries are the most popular, for their shape and significance; sometimes, there might be a coin or nut hidden in the pastry, and the person who got it will have good luck for the next whole year.